Life Hacks

With headlines of foods scares splashed across the news every year, the focus on where our food comes from and what is being done to it is increasingly in the spotlight. If you want to know where to buy organic and how to talk about organic food in China, then read on. Read More

China is very attached to its ancient roots, and, as a result, certain cultural practices can be, at the very least, disorienting for foreigners and language learners. Chinese humor is excellent in illustrating this very point!

Animals are all over the internet in many different forms such as cute photos, memes, news stories and so on. We love these furry hair balls SO much that we even invite them into our homes to live with us! Pets are universally loved, and even though the headlines are filled with the Chinese economy’s “new normal” (新常态, xīnchángtài),their pet industry is still growing rapidly. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China: China is the third largest dog owning population, and the pet care industry is expected to grow more than 50% by 2019.

Candlelight dances on the walls and ceiling. The dance of light unveils Lucas’ face as he struts toward the kitchen. A vanilla aroma from the candles wafts through his apartment. He anticipates the scent will make him increasingly delicious once the night unfurls. His wife Ariel nudges the front door open, plops her bags down on the cold ceramic floor, and wobbles around untying her shoes. Lucas seats himself hastily. Ariel occupies her mind with yet another frustrating day at work, so it takes her a few seconds to realize her environment. Ariel gawks, wondering aloud what the special occasion is. “You,” replies Lucas—in a way reminiscent of T.J. Thyne, the main character in the short film “Validation”. Good riddance to Friday night takeout (外卖 wàimài, a term usually used for “takeout” over the phone), Ariel thinks.

This is a guest Blog post written by Frances Chan, a language-learning consultant: she helps people learn languages. Her pieces on learning languages have helped thousands of people. She most enjoys teaching language-learners how to sound more like native speakers. If you are interested in more pieces that she has written, check out her blog.

Are you keen to work in Chinese but you’re unsure of where to start looking or which jobs to research that require Chinese?

You’ve been studying Mandarin for a few years, and you want to take your China-savvy to the next level: your career. But what do you do with it? There are few straightforward applications of this language—or any human language for that matter. Learn programming, and you can become a software engineer. Learn languages, and you… ?

What’s more, hundreds of thousands of Chinese students study in Anglophone countries each year, gaining professional fluency in English in addition to their already native grasp on Chinese. Based on language abilities alone, they have an absolute advantage over you. What do you do?

As an avid language-learner keen on applying my hard-earned skills, I was curious myself. So this past month, I interviewed ten early-career professionals who’ve begun building a career out of their Chinese skills.

What is ChinesePod?

ChinesePod is the longest-running Mandarin Learning tool. With over 4,000 audio and video lessons at six different skill levels there is something to study for everyone. Read our blog for useful tips & tricks, as well as cultural insights that’ll enrich your understanding of the Mandarin language.